THE COSMIC BLUFF
By Mack Reynolds
As Earth's Champion, Jak had challenged the
Invaders to a duel in the Arena. It was a grand
bluff, but they called it—with one of their own!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
October 1952
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
To everyone in the Solar System I was a big shot, understand? Everyone but two—the two that counted most. One of the two was Suzi, and the other was me. The difference was that Suzi made no bones about telling me I was a fake; in my own mind the knowledge was there but more or less subconscious.
On this particular occasion Suzi was standing in the center of the half acre living room of my new penthouse on top the two hundred story Spacenter Building in Neuve Los Angeles. She had her hands on her hips and was glaring around at the furniture, the pictures, the statuary.
She said bitingly, "Jak, you're a phony."
"A what?" I complained. "Listen, Suzi, don't start calling me those prehistoric names again."
"A phony," she said, "a humbug, a four flusher, a quack, a faker...."